JP2008229966A - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording device which can prevent a sucking mechanism from losing the ability to suck due to the sedimentation of ink in the sucking mechanism when ink is discharged into an ink receiving port formed on a platen and can prevent an ink mist from scattering into the device when the ink is discharged into the ink receiving port. <P>SOLUTION: The inkjet recording device has the ink receiving port 18 formed in a platen 3 to receive ink discharged from a recording head 4, the sucking mechanism 21 and 25 sucks air in the device, a communication port 22 to introduce a mist of the ink discharged to the ink receiving port 18 into the sucking mechanism, a liquefying means 24 to liquefy the ink mist introduced into the sucking mechanisms and an ink recovery portion 16 to recover the ink liquefied by the liquefying means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head to a recording material on a platen.

  As an output device of a computer or a workstation, a recording device that performs recording on a sheet-like recording material based on image information by a recording head is used. There are various recording apparatuses such as an ink jet type, a thermal transfer type, a thermal type, a laser beam type, and a wire dot type. The scanning method includes a serial type that performs recording by alternately repeating main scanning for moving the recording head in the width direction of the recording material and sub-scanning for conveying the recording material at a predetermined pitch, and in the width direction of the recording material. There is a line type in which recording is performed only by sub-scanning using a long recording head. There are various materials for the recording material such as paper, cloth, plastic sheet, photographic printing paper, OHP sheet and the like.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus), recording is performed by discharging ink from a discharge port of a recording head to a recording material based on image information. In the ink jet recording apparatus, a recovery unit for maintaining and recovering the ink ejection performance of the recording head is used. The recovery unit includes, for example, a cap, a suction pump, a wiper, and the like. The cap prevents the ink from drying or protects the ejection surface by covering the ejection port of the recording head. The suction pump is used to refresh the ink in the ejection port by applying a negative pressure in the cap and sucking the ink from the ejection port. The wiper wipes and removes foreign matters such as ink adhering to the ejection surface. Further, in order to maintain good ink ejection, preliminary ejection for ejecting ink other than recording is also performed, and in this case, an ink receiving port which is a preliminary ejection port for receiving ejected ink is provided.

  The ink sucked by the suction pump is guided to an ink recovery unit such as a waste ink tank disposed in the apparatus main body. The preliminary ejected ink is also collected by an ink collection unit such as a waste ink tank. An ink absorber for absorbing and storing waste ink is disposed in the ink recovery unit. The ink recovery unit is generally detachable, and when the amount of waste ink absorbed reaches the limit of the capacity of the ink absorber, the user is prompted to replace it.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to eject fine ink droplets in order to form a clear image. For this purpose, it is required to dispose fine discharge ports at high density. On the other hand, for normal ink ejection, it is necessary to eliminate clogging caused by thickened ink or bubbles at each ejection port. As one means for that purpose, preliminary ejection is performed in which ink other than recording is ejected periodically from each ejection port. In order to perform preliminary ejection, an ink receiving port and an ink collection unit for receiving and collecting the ejected ink are required. This ink recovery unit can also be used to recover waste ink from the recovery unit.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a first conventional configuration example for processing preliminarily ejected ink. FIG. 9 is a central longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 8 and 9, a plurality of ink receiving openings 118 are arranged on the platen 103 arranged to face the recording head. These ink receiving openings 118 are openings for receiving ink ejected to the outside of the recording material in borderless recording (marginless recording), and are arranged at a plurality of locations according to the size of the recording material. Further, preliminary discharge ports 117 are arranged at two places on the left and right sides different from the platen 103. This preliminary ejection port is an opening for receiving ink ejected by the preliminary ejection. Below each preliminary discharge port 117, an ink recovery unit 116 having a tank structure is arranged.

  A platen duct 121 that communicates with the ink collection unit 116 on the right side of the drawing is integrally provided below the platen 103. The bottom surface in the platen duct is inclined so as to become lower toward the ink recovery unit 116. The ink that protrudes from the borderless recording falls into the platen duct 121 through the ink receiving port 118, is introduced into the ink recovery unit 116 along the inclined bottom surface, and is stored therein. The ink recovery unit 116 that is a waste ink tank is disposed below the recovery unit 111 that is disposed at a position off the platen 103.

  When preliminary ejection is performed in the first configuration example, the recording head is moved to one of the positions of the preliminary ejection ports 117 on both sides to eject ink. However, in this case, it is necessary to move the recording head to the end of the apparatus main body at every preliminary ejection, regardless of the size of the recording sheet S. For this reason, even when the recording sheet S is small, the speed of the recording operation is not improved, and the throughput of the recording operation cannot be improved.

  Each ink receiving port 118 is maintained at a negative pressure in order to prevent contamination inside the apparatus due to the occurrence of ink mist during borderless recording. However, in the first configuration example, each ink receiving port 118 communicates with the common platen duct 121 and is not an independent space. For this reason, ink accumulation may occur in the platen duct. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, if ink is deposited at the C location inside the platen duct 121, the ink preliminarily ejected at the A location and the B location is blocked at the C location. For this reason, the pre-discharged ink is not introduced into the ink recovery unit 116, and the ink mist in the ink may be scattered in the apparatus and contaminate the internal components and members.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a second conventional configuration example for processing ink to be pre-discharged. 11 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the internal structure of the ink receiving port in FIG. In FIGS. 10 and 11, ink receiving ports 118 are provided at a plurality of locations on the platen 103 that supports the recording sheet S at positions facing the recording head 104. Each ink receiving port 118 is an opening for receiving the protruding ink ejected outside the edge of the recording material in borderless (no margin) recording, and is arranged at a plurality of positions according to the size of the recording material. Yes. A platen duct 121 is integrally disposed below the platen 103, and an ink recovery unit 116 is disposed below the platen duct. The platen duct 121 communicates with an exhaust fan (not shown) that sucks air. A plurality of suction holes 120 are formed in a predetermined arrangement on the upper surface of the platen 103. Each suction hole 120 communicates with the platen duct 121 and can suck air in the apparatus. By sucking air from the suction holes 120, the conveyed recording sheet S is brought into close contact with the platen, and an accurate gap is formed between the recording head 104 and the recording sheet S.

  In the second configuration example, each ink receiving port 118 for borderless recording is also used as a preliminary discharge port. In this case, preliminary ejection can be performed using the first ink ejection port from the side opposite to the width reference of the recording sheet S. Therefore, regardless of the size of the recording sheet S, the amount of movement of the recording head 104 for preliminary ejection can be greatly reduced, and the throughput of the recording operation can be improved. That is, it is possible to solve the problem of throughput reduction in the first configuration example. Further, the ink ejected to each ink receiving port 118 can be directly collected by the ink collecting unit 116 installed below the platen 103. For this reason, waste ink is not blocked by ink accumulation (ink volume C in FIG. 9) generated in the platen duct 121. The waste ink discharged from the recovery unit 111 is introduced into the ink recovery unit 116 via the tube 123. Ink mist generated in the vicinity of each ink receiving port 118 can be sucked into the platen duct 121 through the mist suction port 122.

  On the other hand, the second configuration example has the following problems. That is, the ink preliminarily ejected to the ink receiving port 118 (its main droplet) is scattered in the form of a mist due to a collision at the time of landing in the ink collecting unit 116 and drawing by the mist suction port 122, and the ink. There is a disadvantage that ink mist is generated due to scattering. The ink mist generated in this way is wound up by the negative pressure generated behind the recording head 104 as it moves, and adheres to components and members inside the apparatus. This adhered ink mist may cause inconveniences such as dirtying the user's hand during maintenance, obstructing the smooth movement of the sliding portion, and causing malfunction of the encoder and sensor.

In order to prevent such inconvenience, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a suction mechanism is provided from an exhaust fan that discharges ink mist inside the apparatus to the outside and an ink recovery duct. Further, by providing the mist suction port 122 in FIG. 11 in such a configuration, the ink mist that is a part of the pre-discharged ink is collected in the platen duct 121 to prevent scattering into the apparatus. Is possible.
JP 2001-191557 A

  However, in such a conventional configuration, when a part of ink preliminarily ejected and accommodated in the platen duct is evaporated and dried, only a component having high viscosity may be deposited and deposited in the platen duct. . When the ink is accumulated, the function of the suction mechanism for sucking the ink mist deteriorates, and it becomes difficult to prevent the ink stains and malfunctions of parts and members due to the scattering of the ink mist into the apparatus. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing a reduction in suction capability due to ink accumulation in a suction mechanism when ink is ejected to an ink receiving port formed in a platen. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that can prevent ink mist from scattering into the apparatus when ink is ejected to an ink receiving port.

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head to a recording material on a platen, an ink receiving port formed in the platen for receiving ink ejected from the recording head, A suction mechanism for sucking air, a communication port for introducing ink mist of the ink discharged to the ink receiving port into the suction mechanism, and a liquefying means for liquefying the ink mist introduced into the suction mechanism And an ink recovery part for recovering the ink liquefied by the liquefying means.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when discharging ink to the ink receptacle formed in the platen, the inkjet recording device which can prevent the fall of the suction capability by the accumulation | storage of the ink in a suction mechanism is provided. In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing ink mist from scattering into the apparatus when ink is ejected to an ink receiving port.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, a recording sheet S, which is a recording material, is sandwiched between a conveying roller 1 and a plurality of pinch rollers 2 that are driven to rotate, and is supported by a platen 3 by the rotation of the conveying roller 1 in the direction of arrow A. Be transported. The pinch roller 2 is rotatably held by a pinch roller holder (not shown) and is pressed against the conveying roller 1 by an elastic force. The recording head 4 is detachably mounted on the carriage 7 so as to eject ink toward the recording sheet S.

  The recording head 4 is an ink jet recording head that performs recording by selectively ejecting ink from a plurality of ejection openings to a recording material based on image information. The recording head 4 is provided with a plurality of ejection port arrays that eject inks of different colors. A plurality of ink tanks 8 are detachably mounted on the tank mounting unit 9 corresponding to the ink colors ejected from the recording head 4. The tank mounting unit 9 and the recording head 4 are connected by a plurality of ink tubes 10 corresponding to the respective ink colors. By mounting each ink tank 8 in the tank mounting unit 9, the ink in each ink tank 8 can be individually supplied to each corresponding ejection port array of the recording head 4 through each ink tube 10.

  The platen 3 supports the back surface of the recording sheet S so as to maintain an appropriate gap between the conveyed recording sheet S and the discharge surface of the recording head 4 (face surface on which discharge ports are arranged). A sheet presser 14 is provided at one end of the platen 3. This sheet pressing restricts the floating of the end of the recording sheet S in the direction crossing the transport direction A. The carriage 7 on which the recording head 4 is mounted is supported so as to be movable along the two guide rails 5 and 6 and is driven to reciprocate by a drive source (not shown). The moving direction of the carriage 7 is a main scanning direction that intersects the conveyance direction (arrow A direction) of the recording sheet S. The conveyance direction of the recording sheet S is the sub-scanning direction. An image is recorded by the recording head 4 on the recording sheet S supported on the platen 3. The recorded recording sheet S is sandwiched between the discharge roller 12 and the spur 13 and is discharged out of the apparatus main body by the synchronous rotation of the discharge roller 12 with the conveying roller 1.

  A recovery unit for maintaining and recovering the ink ejection performance of the recording head 4 at a predetermined position (for example, the home position of the recording head) within the moving range of the recording head 4 and outside the passing range of the recording sheet S. 11 is arranged. The recovery unit 11 is provided with a cap for covering the discharge port of the recording head 4, a suction pump connected to the cap, and a wiper for wiping and cleaning the discharge surface of the recording head. The cap prevents thickening of the ink in the ejection port and protects the ejection surface. The suction pump refreshes the ink in the ejection port by forcibly sucking the ink from the capped ejection port. The wiper removes foreign matters such as ink and paper dust adhering to the ejection surface. A waste ink tank 16 is mounted on the lower side of the platen 3. The waste ink discharged from the recovery unit 11 is introduced into the ink recovery unit 16 having a tank structure.

  The ink collection unit 16 can be replaced by the user. The ink collection unit 16 is detachably attached to the lower side of the platen 3, and the platen 3 is provided with ink receiving units 18 at a plurality of locations in a direction intersecting the recording material conveyance direction. As will be described later, each ink receiving port 18 is an opening for receiving the ink ejected to the outside (the protruding position) of the recording sheet when borderless recording is performed on the recording sheet S. The ink receiving port 18 is also used for receiving ink ejected by preliminary ejection. Preliminary ejection is an operation that ejects ink other than recording in order to eliminate color mixing between ejection openings of different ink colors or refresh ink in the ejection openings, and is usually performed at regular intervals. . The ink collection unit 16 collects ink ejected to the ink receiving port 18 by borderless recording or preliminary ejection, and has a tank structure in this embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an ink receiving port, a suction mechanism, and an ink collecting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view showing the internal structure of the platen duct of the D part in FIG. The configuration and operation for preliminary ejection of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the platen 3 is integrally disposed on the upper side of the platen duct 21 fixed to the apparatus main body, and the ink recovery unit 16 is replaceably mounted on the lower side of the platen duct 21. Yes. A plurality of suction holes 20 communicating with the inside of the platen duct 21 are formed in the platen 3 in a predetermined arrangement. A suction fan (or exhaust fan) 25 is disposed at a predetermined position of the platen duct 21. By operating the suction fan 25, the air in the apparatus is sucked from the suction hole 20 through the platen duct 21. At that time, the recording sheet S on the platen 3 is conveyed while being attracted to the upper surface of the platen 3 by the negative pressure suction force acting on each suction hole 20. In other words, in the present embodiment, air is sucked from the suction holes 20 in order to bring the recording material into close contact with the platen 3. As a result, the distance between the recording surface of the recording sheet S, which is a recording material, and the ejection surface of the recording head is properly maintained.

  The platen 3 is provided with an ink receiving port 18 for receiving ink ejected to the outside of the edge when performing borderless recording on the recording sheet. The ink receptacles 18 are provided at a plurality of locations corresponding to the edges of the recording sheets S of various sizes used. In this embodiment, preliminary ejection for ejecting ink other than recording from the ejection port of the recording head 4 is performed. This preliminary ejection is performed toward the ink receiving port 18. Of the plurality of ink receiving ports 18, the ink receiving port that performs preliminary ejection is normally the first position on the opposite side of the recording sheet reference side from the position corresponding to the edge of the recording sheet on which borderless recording is performed. An ink receptacle is selected. That is, the recording sheet that is being recorded is transported with the edge on one side as a reference, but the preliminary ejection in this embodiment is usually only one portion to the non-reference side from the position of the edge of the recording sheet that is being recorded. This is performed toward the ink receiving port at a remote position. Then, as the size of the recording sheet S increases, preliminary ejection is performed at the ink receiving port 18 that is one position away from the non-reference side.

  With the above configuration, the suction fan 25, the platen duct 21 and the suction hole 20 constitute a suction mechanism for sucking air in the apparatus from the suction hole 20 formed in the platen 3. Further, the platen 3 is formed with an ink receiving port 18 for receiving ink discharged to the outside of the recording material (recording sheet S) during borderless recording. The ink receiving port 18 is discharged by preliminary discharge. Also used to receive ink. In the present embodiment, since the platen duct 21 is integrally formed on the lower side of the platen 3, the ink receiving port 18 is formed to open to the platen 3, and the inside thereof is the platen 3 and the platen duct 21. Is formed by. Further, since the ink collection unit 16 is mounted below the platen duct 21, the ink receiving port 18 is also formed by a part of the ink collection unit 16.

  The ink ejected from the recording head 4 by the borderless recording or preliminary ejection is divided into the main droplet and the ink mist in the ink receiving port 18 and is collected in the ink collecting unit 16 through different paths. That is, the main droplets of ink ejected from the recording head 4 to the ink receiving port 18 are directly fed into the ink collecting section 16 disposed below the ink receiving port 18 due to its gravity, as indicated by an arrow K in FIG. Immediately housed. An ink absorber 19 for absorbing and storing waste ink is loaded in the portion 30 that accommodates the main ink droplets in the ink collection unit 16.

  On the other hand, since the mist-like portion (ink mist) in the ink discharged into the ink receiving port 18 has a very small weight and a poor landing ability, the initial speed when discharged is immediately lost. Here, on the wall surface of the ink receiving port 18, a communication port 22 that connects the inside of the ink receiving port and the inside of the platen duct 21 is formed, and a suction force by the suction fan 25 acts on the inside of the platen duct 21. is doing. For this reason, the ink mist of the ink discharged to the ink receiving port 18 is drawn into the platen duct 21 through the communication port 22. That is, the ink mist in the ink receiving port 18 is introduced into a suction mechanism that sucks air in the apparatus.

  Inside the platen duct 21 is provided a partition wall 24 where ink mist introduced from the communication port 22 into the suction mechanism and air collide. The ink mist introduced from the communication port 22 is liquefied by colliding with the partition wall 24 that forms a liquefied surface, and returned to liquid ink. That is, the partition wall 24 constitutes a liquefaction means for liquefying the ink mist introduced into the suction mechanism. Below the liquefaction wall 24 that is a liquefaction means, an ink introduction port 26 that leads from the platen duct 21 to the inside of the ink recovery unit 16 is formed. Accordingly, the ink mist sucked from the ink receiving port 18 collides with the liquefying wall 24 in the platen duct 21 and is liquefied, and then has fluidity, as indicated by an arrow M in FIG. The ink is dropped into the ink collection unit 16 through the inlet 26. Accordingly, the ink obtained by liquefying the ink mist is collected in a storage portion 31 that is different from the portion 30 for collecting the main droplet in the ink collection portion 16.

  At this time, the air sucked together with the ink mist is separated from the liquefied ink mist, then flows into the platen duct 21 again around the liquefying wall 24 and is discharged from the suction fan 25 to the outside. In the illustrated example, as indicated by an arrow, the ink collection unit 16 is once entered through the ink introduction port 26 and then sucked into the platen duct 21 from another opening. Thus, in the present embodiment, a part of the ink recovery unit 16 constitutes a part of the suction mechanism (platen duct 21). In other words, a part of the platen duct 21 of the suction mechanism is constituted by a part of the ink recovery unit 16. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the recovery unit 30 that recovers the main droplets of ink discharged to the ink receiving port 18 and the recovery unit 31 that stores the ink obtained by liquefying the ink mist have a tank structure. It is arranged in one ink collecting section 16 that has been That is, it is provided in the same detachable container. However, this may be constituted by another ink container as required, and may be arranged at another place.

  If the ink mist is not liquefied without providing the liquefying means 24 or the like, the mist ink is scattered from the suction hole 20 of the platen 3 into the apparatus, and the back surface of the recording sheet 4 is stained or the inside of the apparatus is stained. there is a possibility. In particular, ink mist scattered in the apparatus floats in the apparatus due to the movement of the carriage 7 and causes ink contamination of components and members. In this embodiment, since the liquefying wall 24 is provided as the liquefying means, such ink contamination can be prevented.

  By the way, the communication port 22 between the ink receiving port 18 and the platen duct 21 can have a sufficiently small cross section, and there is no problem in maintaining the negative pressure as it is. On the other hand, the ink inlet 26 needs an opening area of a certain size in order to surely guide the ink having fluidity due to the liquefaction of the ink mist into the ink recovery unit 16. The ink collection unit 16 is detachably attached to the platen duct 21 constituting the suction mechanism, and the ink introduction port 26 is formed so as to penetrate the platen duct 21 and the ink collection unit 16. Therefore, in order to maintain the negative pressure in the platen duct 21, it is necessary to ensure the sealing performance at the ink inlet 26. Therefore, a sealing structure is provided around the ink inlet 26 of the ink recovery unit 16 to ensure sealing performance. Next, the sealing structure of the ink inlet 26 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of the platen duct 21 and the ink inlet 26 of the ink recovery unit 16. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the upper surface of the ink recovery unit 16 taken along line 6-6 in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view between the upper case and the lower case of the ink recovery unit 16 taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6 and 7, the configuration of the corresponding portion of the platen duct 21 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. 5-7, the ink collection | recovery part 16 has the tank structure (or sealed container structure), and is comprised by joining the upper case 16a and the lower case 16b.

  In order to seal the periphery of the ink inlet 26 between the platen duct 21 and the ink recovery unit 16, that is, between the lower surface of the platen duct 21 and the upper surface of the upper case 16a, a seal member 27 is provided on the upper surface of the upper case 16a. It is fixed by adhesion or the like. When the ink recovery unit 16 is attached to the apparatus main body, the sealing member 27 is pressed against the lower surface of the platen duct 21 to ensure the sealing performance between the ink recovery unit 16 and the platen duct 21. As the seal member 27, an elastic member such as rubber is usually used.

  In order to seal the periphery of the ink inlet 26 between the upper case 16a and the lower case 16b of the ink recovery unit 16, a seal member 28 is adhered to the upper surface (the contact surface with the upper case 16a) of the lower case 16b by bonding or the like. It is fixed. When assembling the ink recovery unit 16, the sealing member 28 is pressed against the lower surface of the upper case 16a, so that the sealing property between the lower case 16b and the upper case 16a, that is, the sealing property of the ink recovery unit 16 is ensured. . As the seal member 28, an elastic member such as rubber is usually used.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus according to the above embodiment, the ink ejected from the recording head 4 in the borderless recording or the preliminary ejection can be immediately guided into the ink collecting unit 16 and collected together with the ink mist. Therefore, ink that is subsequently ejected does not accumulate in the ink collection path such as the ink receiving port 18 and the ink introduction port 26, and the ink collection path is not blocked. In addition, scattering of ink mist of the ejected ink can be reduced to a minimum. For this reason, it is possible to realize safe ink ejection without ink leakage or ink contamination.

  In the above-described embodiment, a serial type recording apparatus using the carriage 7 mounted with the recording head 4 and reciprocally moving is described as an example. The present invention can be similarly applied to other recording methods such as a line type recording apparatus that records only by sub-scanning in the direction in which the recording material is conveyed. Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to a recording apparatus in a complex apparatus or a system configuration as well as a single recording apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine. Further, regarding the recording material, various materials such as paper, plastic sheet, OHP sheet, cloth, and photographic printing paper can be used as long as image recording is possible.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating an ink receiving port, a suction mechanism, and an ink recovery unit of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a platen duct of a D part in FIG. FIG. 5 in FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of the platen duct and the ink inlet of the ink recovery section. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the upper surface of the ink recovery unit taken along line 6-6 in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view between the upper case and the lower case of the ink recovery unit along line 7-7 in FIG. 5. It is a top view which shows the 1st example of a conventional structure for processing the ink ejected preliminary. It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. It is a top view which shows the 2nd example of a conventional structure for processing the ink by which preliminary discharge is carried out. It is a cross-sectional perspective view which shows the internal structure of the ink receptacle in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

3 Platen 4 Recording Head 16 Ink Collection Unit 16a Upper Case 16b Lower Case 18 Ink Receiving Port 20 Suction Hole 21 Platen Duct (Suction Mechanism)
22 Communication port 24 Liquefaction means (liquefaction wall)
25 Suction fan (suction mechanism)
26 Ink introduction port 27, 28 Seal member S Recording material (recording sheet)

Claims (10)

In an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head to a recording material on a platen,
An ink receiving port formed in the platen for receiving ink ejected from the recording head;
A suction mechanism for sucking air in the device;
A communication port for introducing ink mist of the ink discharged to the ink receiving port to the suction mechanism;
Liquefying means for liquefying the ink mist introduced into the suction mechanism;
An ink recovery unit for recovering the ink liquefied by the liquefying means;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein ink ejected to the outside of a recording material during borderless recording is received by the ink receiving port.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink ejected by the preliminary ejection is received by the ink receiving port.   4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink ejected from the recording head to the ink receiving port is collected by an ink collecting unit disposed below the ink receiving port. .   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction mechanism sucks air from a suction hole formed in the platen.   6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein air is sucked from the suction holes in order to bring the recording material into close contact with the platen.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquefying means is a partition wall on which ink mist introduced into the suction mechanism collides.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink recovery unit is detachably attached to the suction mechanism.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a part of the ink recovery unit constitutes a part of the suction mechanism.   The recovery unit for ink liquefied by the liquefying unit and the recovery unit for main droplets of ink ejected from the recording head to the ink receiving port are provided in the same detachable container. Item 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to Item 8 or 9.

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